Marussia F1 Team Agrees To Sponsorship Agreement With Russian Bookmaker

Russian sports car manufacturer Marussia hopes to take advantage of Russia's growing interest in F1 and boost its "tight budget" after signing a sponsorship deal with a Russian betting company on Thursday, according to Gennady Fyodorov of REUTERS. Team CEO Andy Webb did not reveal the financial details of the one-year deal with Liga Stavok (Betting League), but saw it "as just the start of many good things to come." The deal had been announced before the Australian season-opener on March 17 and Liga Stavok has its branding on the MR02 car "as well as team and driver apparel." Webb said, "It is a critical time for Marussia so any sponsor is good news but adding a Russian company is a much more significant factor for us than any amount of money it could bring." Marussia has already announced an agreement with another Russian partner, currency brokerage InstaForex, who became "an official supplier and had branding on the car at last weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix." Webb: "Right now Russia's interest into Formula One is very low, but it will undoubtedly grow bigger and bigger" (REUTERS, 3/28).